My 3 titles headed for Okanagan Regional Library

The Okanagan Regional Library will include my three books Running Shoes Are a Girl's Best Friend, Powered From Within: Stories About Running & Triathlon and A Work in Progress: Exercises in Writing in its collections.

Not only is that superb news, but in the process I also found out about a system called BookManager. 

According to the website, TBM BookManager Ltd. was created in 1986 in Vancouver, BC by Michael Neill, then co-owner of a family run chain of bookstores. Today, BookManager is located in Kelowna... We have well over 400 stores that consider BookManager to be an important asset to their business. There are also about 50 stores who simply subscribe to our bibliographic services, TitleLink and PubStock.

A great resource by the looks of it and I was very pleased to see my three books included in the system.

Tips on easing into a walking / running routine

Two months ago I was part of a relay team in the Squamish triathlon. Our team was sponsored by the woman who happens to be my dentist. A busy woman with a full-time career and young children, she had decided a few months ago she needed a little time for herself and had begun swimming. A friend of hers who has done the bike leg in this triathlon in previous years suggested that they team up, and find a runner.

My dentist did the swim and did fantastic in her first triathlon, as did our team. Not that it is about results, but it was nice to walk away with second place among the all-female teams. When it was time for my six-month check-up last week I asked my dentist about her swimming. She said she wasn't able to do any as our local pool is closed the entire month for maintenance.

She said she'd like to try some running, as it would save her the time required to drive back and forth to the pool and would be easier  to fit into her schedule. Yet she was worried about her knees. I told her that the best way to start running is to begin walking and that I'd be happy to send her some ideas, if she wanted. She said she'd love that.

I thought I'd share the email I sent her. Of course always check with your GP first before embarking on any exercise program.

A general truth is that you start running by walking. You want to ease into a running routine so that it is enjoyable, mentally and physically.

If you like, you can do daily walks. However, do not do daily runs. So if you were to do daily walks, mix in stretches of running on three or four of those per week.

Make sure you're comfortable, i.e. invest in a proper pair of running shoes that are suited for you sooner than later. For example, I have high arches and a `neutral gait', so I always look for `neutral shoes' with plenty of forefront cushioning. It's a good idea to go to a reputable running store where someone can advise you on the type of shoes that are right for you.

Make sure your walks/runs are fun! Choose a nice route, always be proud of yourself for having made the effort to get out the door, even if only for 15-20 minutes. If possible bring your kids, spouse, friends along on some of your outings. On others, enjoy the peace and quiet, and let your mind wander.

If time is an issue, and that is the case for most of us, a great way to guarantee that you create the time for your walk/run is by getting up 30 minutes earlier than normal and heading straight out the door. It's helpful to get your clothing, socks and shoes ready the night before, and have a banana (or something else light and easily digestible) to eat if you feel you need a little something to get going.

A morning walk/run guarantees a great and energetic start to the day, and avoids frustration if something else comes up during the day that prevents you from going later.

While I've learned a lot from my own experience as a runner, I am not a coach (though I am considering getting formal training in that area). Therefore here are three links to online suggestions on how to get started, and ideas on how to mix up walking and running.

http://www.halhigdon.com/beginrunner/plan.htm
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/beginners/the-total-beginners-quick-guide-to-running/24.html
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/beginners/get-started-schedules/30.html

Last but not least, I recommend you check out my book Running Shoes Are a Girl's Best Friend. In this book, 53 women (aged 26 to 59) talk about the reasons they run, and the ways they have made it part of their busy lives. Two coaches provide guidance and encouragement in two separate chapters.

I love running, and am very excited when someone else is thinking of taking it up, so I am always happy to chat about it.

Guest post by writer Margaret Miller on Mystery

I met Margaret, a fellow writer who has taught writing and literature, a month ago when I approached her at the entrance of a bookstore in Penticton, BC, with my books. We were soon chatting, ran into each other again the next day as our spouses were checking in for Ironman Canada and have kept in touch since. Please enjoy her guest post about the universal pull of Mystery.

There is something about a mystery that draws us in. Several months ago, I began reading a mystery novel recommended by a friend. The first night, I sat down with the book after dinner and stayed up much later than I meant to, completely engaged by the story's intrigue and realistic world of characters that had been created by the writer. The following day, I picked up the mystery more than once for a brief escape, following the fictional lawyer to Florida as he arranged to trap his colleagues in a complicated scheme.

Books provide a way for many of us to temporarily leave behind the problems and questions posed by our own lives and family. Interestingly, though, the books we often choose to read are mysteries, filled with as much conflict as the very lives we are attempting to momentarily escape. Somehow searching for solutions to fictional situations and piecing together the relationships between imaginary characters entertains us in a way that working out our own reality does not.

The men and women invented by creative writers often live more daring and exotic lives than any of us ever will. We can experience the thrill of such an existence without having to suffer the consequences of their errors.

And perhaps we even learn something from having traveled to places--even imaginary ones--where we had not traveled before.

Books provide an exciting and memorable flight from the routine and uncertainty of our daily lives. But mystery and uncertainty in real life are not all bad. In fact, it's easy to underestimate the important part they play in making our days interesting and challenging and even worth getting up for in the morning.

We may strive to order and structure the days of our lives. We may try in various ways to know and predict our futures. But without the surprise of tomorrow and the hope of discovering those parts of ourselves which are yet unexplored, the portion of reality we do know promises little excitement.

There is something about a mystery that draws us in and moves us to figure it out. Perhaps that is why God, in His unfathomable wisdom, reveals our lives to us like pieces of a mystery to work through and solve one day at a time.

Margaret Miller is a writer with more than 20 years of experience in corporate communications. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Bowling Green State University and has taught writing and literature at the college and high school levels. Widely published, her work has been featured in Texas Monthly, Ms. Magazine, and dozens of other publications here and abroad. She and her former husband are collaborating on a book about co-parenting after divorce. She lives in El Paso, Texas. You can email her at MM28 (AT) aol.com

Margaret is a big fan of my book A Work in Progress: Exercises in Writing - please read her review.

Guest post by pro triathlete Lisa Marangon

Lisa Marangon is set for her pro debut on Kona next month

Lisa Marangon (30) became a professional triathlete six years ago. The single mum had only just discovered the sport and the fact that she was very good at it: she won the 18-24 age group at the 2003 Ironman Australia in Forster-Tuncurry, and repeated that feat the following year.

Both years she qualified for the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, where she finished second and third in her division respectively.

It took three years after she turned pro before she had her first big professional victory. In 2007 she won the Western Australia half Ironman in Busselton.

And next month, she is making her professional debut at the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona after she earned her first qualification as a pro at Ironman Lake Placid in July with a solid third place.

I met Lisa some time in 2002 when she joined John Hill's triathlon squad. A super-strong swimmer and cyclist, who has often found herself at the front of the race during the bike leg, Lisa has worked incredibly hard at her running and has brought her speed in that department in line with her performance at the other two disciplines. In May she ran a blistering 83:22 half marathon, smashing her previous PB by some five minutes.

What I admire most about Lisa is her infectious enthusiasm, determination and never-give-up attitude. She discovered a talent for triathlon eight years ago, and has sustained the hard work, sacrifices and disappointments because she loves the sport and is determined to fight as hard as she can to make her dreams as a pro triathlete come true.

She has been on a roll this year, reaping the rewards of consistent hard work. I asked her about the importance of focusing on your dreams, and here's what she said:

"There are always risks in taking steps to reaching your dreams. Sometimes you need to fail to succeed! If you believe in yourself and give everything you have, knowing that it was everything, then you have succeeded. Dedication, determination and belief are the first steps in achieving anything you want to. Always know that anything is possible!"

Check out Lisa Marangon's website here
Follow her on Twitter here